Career and Education Opportunities for Signal and Track Switch Repairers in Oceanside, California

If you want to be a signal and track switch repairer, the Oceanside, California area offers many opportunities both for education and employment. The national trend for signal and track switch repairers sees this job pool growing by about 1.1% over the next eight years. Signal and track switch repairers generally install, inspect, or repair electric gate crossings, signals, or intercommunications systems within a railroad system.

The average wage in the general category of Railroad jobs is $28 per hour or $58,040 per year in California, and an average of $23 per hour or $47,190 per year nationwide.

The Oceanside area is home to fifty-seven schools of higher education, including two within twenty-five miles of Oceanside where you can get a degree as a signal and track switch repairer. The most common level of education for signal and track switch repairers is an Associate's, or other 2-year degree. It will take about two years to learn to be a signal and track switch repairer if you already have a high school diploma.

CAREER DESCRIPTION: Signal and Track Switch Repairer

Signal and track switch repairers drive motor vehicles to job sites. They also remove faulty wiring or burned-out light bulbs. Equally important, signal and track switch repairers have to examine and test operations, mechanical parts, and circuitry of gate crossings and signal equipment such as interlocks and hotbox detectors. They are often called upon to examine and remove batteries as needed. They are expected to clean lenses of lamps with cloths and solvents. Finally, signal and track switch repairers examine electrical units of railroad grade crossing gates and repair loose bolts and faulty electrical connections and parts.

Every day, signal and track switch repairers are expected to be able to understand events and object details at a distance. They need to evaluate problems as they arise. It is also important that they visualize how things come together and can be organized.

It is important for signal and track switch repairers to lubricate moving parts on gate-crossing mechanisms and swinging signals. They are often called upon to examine switch-controlling mechanisms on trolley wires and in track beds, using hand tools and test equipment. Somewhat less frequently, signal and track switch repairers are also expected to record and report data related to mileage or track inspected, fixes performed, and equipment requiring replacement.

They also have to be able to record and report data related to mileage or track inspected, fixes performed, and equipment requiring replacement and examine electrical units of railroad grade crossing gates and repair loose bolts and faulty electrical connections and parts. And finally, they sometimes have to clean lenses of lamps with cloths and solvents.

Like many other jobs, signal and track switch repairers must be thorough and dependable and be reliable.

Similar jobs with educational opportunities in Oceanside include:

Electrical Line Worker. Install or repair cables or wires used in electrical power or distribution systems. May erect poles and light or heavy duty transmission towers.

Television Cable Installer. String and repair telephone and television cable, including fiber optics and other equipment for transmitting messages or television programming.

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES: Signal and Track Switch Repairer Training

Palomar College - San Marcos, CA

Palomar College, 1140 W. Mission, San Marcos, CA 92069-1487. Palomar College is a large college located in San Marcos, California. It is a public school with primarily 2-year programs and has 28,093 students. Palomar College has one to two year, associate's degree, and two to four year programs in Electrician which graduated eighty-five, three, and zero students respectively in 2008.

San Diego City College - San Diego, CA

San Diego City College, 1313 Park Boulevard, San Diego, CA 92101-4787. San Diego City College is a large college located in San Diego, California. It is a public school with primarily 2-year programs and has 17,372 students. San Diego City College has a less than one year and an associate's degree program in Electrician which graduated fifty-five and three students respectively in 2008.

LOCATION INFORMATION: Oceanside, California

Oceanside, California photo by FlickreviewR

Oceanside is situated in San Diego County, California. It has a population of over 169,684, which has grown by 5.4% in the past ten years. The cost of living index in Oceanside, 136, is far greater than the national average. New single-family homes in Oceanside are valued at $388,600 on average, which is far greater than the state average. In 2008, fifty-two new homes were constructed in Oceanside, down from one hundred forty-nine the previous year.

The three most popular industries for women in Oceanside are health care, educational services, and accommodation and food services. For men, it is construction, accommodation and food services, and public administration. The average travel time to work is about 29 minutes. More than 22.2% of Oceanside residents have a bachelor's degree, which is lower than the state average. The percentage of residents with a graduate degree, 7.3%, is lower than the state average.

The unemployment rate in Oceanside is 10.0%, which is less than California's average of 12.3%.

The percentage of Oceanside residents that are affiliated with a religious congregation, 43.7%, is less than both the national and state average. King of Kins Lutheran Church, Temple Solel and Temple Juda are some of the churches located in Oceanside. The most prominent religious groups are the Catholic Church, the LDS (Mormon) Church and the Southern Baptist Convention.

Oceanside is home to the Oceanside Community Center and the Oceanside-Carlsbad Country Club as well as Heritage Village Park and Libby Lake City Park. Shopping centers in the area include Fire Mountain Shopping Center, Rancho del Oro Plaza Shopping Center and Best Plaza Shopping Center. Visitors to Oceanside can choose from Beachwood Motel, Best Western Oceanside Inn and Best Western - Oceanside Inn for temporary stays in the area.